Umbria Rural Life

You’ll want to tour all the Umbrian hilltown gems while you’re here, meeting “the locals” in the towns as you immerse yourself in the history and art. But if you really wish to “take Umbria” home with you, a contact with the rural people seems a must. For me, they are one of Italy’s national treasures. So head to the countryside while here.

My husband Pino and I moved to a ruined farmhouse in the Assisi countryside years ago – and we set out to work the land. I owe it to our rural friends to set down their stories – after all, they taught us not just about the ways of the land but about life. Peppa, Marino and Chiarina, Gentile and Peppe, Alessandro, Mandina: each has enriched our life on the land.

In a way, our farm friends come with me to the U.S. each year: Umbrian rural cuisine recipes highlight our U.S. cooking gatherings. Short stories about them start off the events.

And I’ll keep setting down the rural life stories, my way to say “mille grazie”: